Recently the girls were invited to a very special VIP party at the Odeon Covent Garden London.

Its was all pink carpet glam as Alice-Sara and her best friend went to watch an exclusive preview screening of series 5 of the hit Nickelodeon show, Winx Club!

Not only would the girls get to enjoy this exclusive preview but they would also get to party following the screening, celebrating everything Winx including the newest launch of Winx dolls.

Alice-Sara has never watched Winx but having attended the event she is now a big fan.

The event itself was magical. The girls were presented with Winx Tutus on arrival and following the one hour screening the girls got their groove on in the magical world of Winx.

Here they could get their groove on in the Frutti Tutti Music Bar and hang out with the guest DJ while they rocked it on the dance floor. They could take to the mic for the Winx Karaoke competition, and show off their best air guitar moves. At the Bloom’s Beauty Bar the girls were styled just like the Winx Fairies with clip in coloured hair, glitter face-painting and fairy nails.

There was a great crafts area and the girls had fun making Stella’s Sun catchers out of sparkly glitter and sequins.

The girls found the whole experience truly magical. They won second prize on the karaoke (a Winx beauty case each) and Alice-Sara won a Winx doll in a dancing competition. Both girls walked the pink carpet like those at a film premiere and had their photos taken with a magical Winx fairy.

They came home with some great goody bags packed with Winx treasures. This included a Winx DVD they we have watched a great number of times since.

As for the screening we highly recommend that Winx fans tune in for the new seasons episodes on Nickelodeon… The girls really enjoyed the story lines.

Later at home in their tutus

Winx dolls and Merchandise can be brought from all good toy shops including Argos and Amazon.

I don’t know where I would be without the web. If there was no web there would be no blog and that for me is a daunting thought.

I remember when I first started using a computer, I’d be there for what seemed like forever searching for every key I needed on the keyboard (it wasn’t unusual for it to take up to 5 minutes to complete a three letter word)! Likely it didn’t take long for me to get used to typing and using the Internet. Within months I had launched the blog, finding myself writing post on a daily basis.

The children share a desktop for homework and creative projects. Little man has gained so much from using it and if anything such technology has provided him with a way to communicate and express himself in a more positive light.

Those who read the blog will know how my child who is diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome amongst other labels, suddenly stopped writing and as a result his ‘then mainstream school’ found the only way to get him to produce and engage in any type of work was to give him access to a computer. Little man is a fast learner and I’ve found that todays world of technology has provided him with great opportunities, a way to show how clever he really is! Little man is 11 and can do just about anything on a computer from spread sheets to presentations, video editing and site building. Like me it provides him with a louder voice, a way to send messages to world. Little man is undergoing OT (occupational therapy) and as part of the programme his learnt varying levels of touch typing. At 11 my son has just started his own blog and discovered the world of twitter (which he loves just as much as his mother)!

So, when one of the big names in technology ‘Acer‘ invited me to the launch of their latest tech products, little man was pushing me out the door armed with a note pad and pen and a camera shoved in my hand.

the launch was also a celebration of their worldwide partnership within the Olympic movement as well as the support it has provided to the ‘London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ (LOCOG) during this years London 2012 games.

A few select bloggers and writers were invited to the magnificent Spencer House in Saint James Place London, Where they got to have a play with all the latest releases from acer, before being treated to a delicious 3 course meal set in one truly astounding setting.

Before I begin to write about what’s new with acer I really want to share this beautiful historic eighteenth century mansion ‘Spencer House’ a place I felt so privileged to have been invited.

Image credit Spencer House

I had no idea that the venue for the event was one of such historic beauty. Decked out with vintage furniture & accessories, gold leaf trimming, tall vases and large dangling crystal chandeliers.The walls of every room displayed an array of beautiful painted art and the ceilings are higher than any I’ve seen before. Set over looking Green Park and located just around the corner from Buckingham palace, one didn’t find it hard to be bedazzled.

As you can see from these images, I became a tad obsessional about those stunning chandeliers.

Acer and spencer house put on a beautiful lunch consisting of three wonderfully prepared causes ( and there was me expecting a table of full of nibbles).

Possibly the most beautiful house I’ve ever stood in!

I loved the mix of attendees. I was sat with some lovely people at dinner. Conversation was flowing as all had something interesting to say (there is nothing worse than dinner with a load boring so and so’s so this I was pleased with).

The gadgets were all pretty impressive. I think that most mistake acer as a brand that produces user friendly yet very basic tech products therefore explaining their affordability. I’m guilty in assuming that acer mostly produced consumer friendly net books and tablets. With time its become very apparent that this isn’t the case and it was during my visit to spencer house that I discovered just how much more acer offered its users.

The Acer Aspire 5600U, an all-in-one PC, was the product that really impressed me. Not only does its floating design look fantastic with full HD screen and ability to recline up to a 60 degree angle but it’s also a touch screen which I’ve found to be a fantastic feature for those with certain SEN and disabilities (especially that of autism) because of the simplicity and sensory benefits it provides.

I had a good play on the Acer Aspire 5600U and can therefore report that yes, the 10 point touch technology really does make this an incredibly smooth and highly responsive multi-touch experience.

There were many other reasons for lusting over the system. The semi-transparent enclosure around this PC accommodates the hard drive, blue-ray player and the screen giving it that tidiness.The keyboard and mouse are wireless and it boasts a frameless screen which is an impressive 23″. The PC comes with an exclusive VESA mount kit allowing you to view HDTV on the wall giving u the perfect cinema experience.

The A510 has an extra long battery life of up to 15 hours and built in storage of 32G (can be expanded up to 64G with the use of an SD card). This is a tablet designed for both work and play with its powerful quad-core performance and smart productivity, the A510 is able to multi task with ease.

Superior audio is another great feature that comes with the A510. The Dolby Mobile 3+ with premium 5.1-channel HD output, and two high quality inbuilt speakers, makes both music and movies that bit more enjoyable.

This has been pre-loaded with Eurosport player for a limited time and includes that of the Andriod Ice Cream Sandwhich OS, making the A510 the perfect tool for mobile lifestyle.

This is a great tablet thats not only powerful but also attractive in terms of design. Available in both black and silver and sporting the Acer/Olympics logo that celebrates it’s partnership within the Olympic movement.

The Olympic A510 special edition tablet is available from Carphone Warehouse from £349.99

With little mans birthday fast approaching this tablet has somehow become his most wanted item… Yes, his not asking for those weird but wonderfully cheap items like batteries and padlocks, as his done in previous years (another trait of his Aspergers I’m sure)!

So, there you have it, some awesome Tech products from Acer. Christmas will be here before you know it after all.

This is a review post. I wasn’t asked or paid to write this. I reviewed the items during the Acer launch at Spencer House. Opinions are honest and all words are that of my own.

I’ve been seriously excited about sharing this review, but had my instructions to hold of from posting till nearer the big launch date.

Bumpeez are set to become the next big pocket money, playground craze throughout the UK.

Bumpeez are twin packs of fun collectable, pocket money toys priced at just ￡1.99. These exciting new toys are all set to hit newsagents, toy stores and supermarkets nationwide from the 24th August 2011.

When I received the email back in the beginning of July, asking if the children would be interested in giving Bumpeez a try, I knew these would be an instant hit with Little Man.

Bumpeez are aimed at both boys and girls between the ages of 5-11 years (though little man is 11 on the 1st of October, I think these may appeal to those that little bit older too).

Its fair to say that when it comes to collectable pocket money toys, many children on the autism spectrum take to them like a duck to water! Just look at Pokemon, (a game which is said to be created by a guy with high functioning autism, likely, ‘Aspergers syndrome’) or that of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, both have been a hit with children on the spectrum. This is not only for the appeal of forming a collection but also the social aspect that surrounds these games,Just like Bumpeez they offer the opportunities needed to better a child’s social skills.

Bumpeez go one step better! These are not cards but instead highly collectable solid circular chips encased in a highly tactile removal silicon ring that come in a variety of different shapes, colours and sizes, (another appealing aspect for children on the autism spectrum who may require lots of sensory/tactile input during play).

The idea of the silicon outer ring is to allow the Bumpeez to bounce. These can then be bounced against different surfaces to play tricks or games. The different shapes of the ring mean each will require varying degrees of skill to bounce.

Bumpeez offer the child versatility in that they can be played both with or without the silicon ring, either indoors or outdoors. There are already a total of 25 games created, yet children are encouraged to make up their own, improving the child’s imagination skills (an essential tool for those with autism).

Collectables

Little man loved his packet of Bumpeez that contained the characters, ‘Cloud’ & ‘Candy killer’ He loved how there were so many different characters to collect, 100 in total. Bumpeez also have 10 different colours to collect.

The overall goal is for the child to collect all the coloured chips with matching coloured rings. Each chip has its own character and trading value. ‘Omar’ is the lead character therefore the rarest with the highest trading value. Other characters include Omar’s friends, Robot, Pam and Johnny-Q.

Little man loves the whole trading concept that surrounds Bumpeez. He told me that the fact you don’t know what bumpeez you’re getting makes the collecting aspect more exciting.

From a parental point of view, I found Bumpeez to be great value for money. The fact that each pack contains two bumpeez is fantastic. I have known other products aimed at children labelled as “pocket money toys” priced at anything but pocket money prices. I can honestly see little man collecting these from the time they hit the shops next week till the day they disappear! I can easily vision my 8 year old daughter following suit much to little mans “delight” (yes, that was good old fashion English sarcasm)! Since early July when little man first discovered Bumpeez his continually asked, “Mum, how much longer till I can get some more Bumpeez?” I’m being driven loopy with anticipation. He has already taken these into school (an autism special school) before the end of term and told me his class peers showed a keen interest his new toy.

It seems that the fun that can be had with Bumpeez is limitless. What with the chance to acquire special rear addition packs containing, silver, swirl (Bi-colour) & golden chips resulting in the child winning a fantastic prize makes the purchase of a packet of Bumpeez even more exciting.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you!” Bumpeez have an interactive feature. The online element means kids can access cool game, tips and tricks, plus lots of new and exciting features at the official website:http://www.bumpeez.com

So, parents be prepared… in just 5 days from now Bumpeez will hit the shelves of your local store, how cool will you look when your child asks, “Mum, what’s these?” and your able to tell them with confidence!

Bumpeez will be available to buy at all good newsagents, independent toy stores, (such as the entertainer) national supermarkets and high street stores including WHsmiths & Toys R us from 24th August priced at just ￡1.99

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